That Man: Peter Berlin

Back in the 80's, I remember seeing photos of Peter Berlin. I was struck by how different he was from other performers. He went out of his way to stand out in the crowd, and he was keenly aware of how clothes (he chose the most skin-hugging/daring outfits) can actually enhance eroticism, as opposed to looking at the male form in full-on nudity.As this fascinating documentary about a fascinating man states, Berlin was the ultimate artist, using himself as his own "canvas"...and he did so with striking effect. The face. The body. The clothes. Berlin helped define the 70's gay culture, combining faint androgony with masculinity.The film explores all the facets of his life, while simultaneously displaying tons of photo stills of Berlin: His youth in Germany; his "awakening" in America under the persona of Peter Berlin; the two legendary films he made; his deeply touching 20-year friendship with James; surviving the AIDS crisis; and finally, growing old. For a man in his 60's, he looks almost the same as he did decades ago. Retaining much of his boyish looks, he's in such good shape that he can still wear those same daring outfits!Chock full of interviews from others (including Berlin himself), this is an intriguing film about an iconic artist who virtually became "the Greta Garbo of porn". A must-see!

Homophobia has always been the first obstacle for many persons to enter the world of "gay icon" Peter Berlin, and now it has the same effect on common viewers who abstain to watch -not to mention appreciate- the documentary "That Man: Peter Berlin". Second, the perception of what Polish-born baron Armin von Hoyningen-Huene did to himself in the 1970s (that is, creating a character called Peter Berlin, turning it into a fixed figure of the streets of San Francisco, and photographing it himself in erotic images, among other things) as the sole effect of narcissism or exhibitionism, can also dissuade many to watch this motion picture.Surprisingly (at least for me), Berlin emerges as all that and as someone more interesting, a richer personality and a more complex character. I belong to a generation after his, but I had the opportunity to live the moment when Peter Berlin became a sensation among homosexuals (mostly in the Occident and in the North hemisphere), a historic moment when the fight for the civil rights of all of us who had sexual orientations different from the "official" one became more radical, and helped us to define what fronts of our existences urgently needed strategies of defense. (Not all lived marginalized from that historic period, as the cowboys in "Brokeback Mountain", a film that takes place in that moment of the evolution of the LGTB movement).In that context Berlin made himself an object of conceptual art, a performing artist of the notion of sexual desire as an act of observation rather than interaction in erotic "events". Although he had his share of those activities through his pornographic films, and personal encounters through his intense social life, most of the time he only teased, attracted, played with emotion, toyed with his surface, like a living painting, an icon of sexual desire that slipped and faded. Today he declares that he became a sort of abstemious sensual machine that rarely had sex with anyone, and preferred to have permanent relationships.For someone who was not only extremely handsome when free from the demands of his Berlin character, but also successful, travelled and sought after by Richards, Warhol, Mapplethorpe and other avant-garde artists, it is quite moving to hear him talk about the painful aspects of his life, about his difficult journey, from the loss of his father in II World War to the struggles in post-war Europe, the abuse of substances of all kinds, and the disappearance of many friends, including two partners. It is also good to see him at 63 years old (in 2005) with a healthy sense of humor, still with advanced ideas about artistic contemplation, still as schizophrenic as in the 70s: a true survivor who reach a state of consciousness through the "via negativa", that feared and risky road to enlightenment, opposed to the "positive way" of virtue.Although this may seem a bit frivolous on my part, I need to comment that I found strange and rare that most of the times director Jim Tushinski deliberately abstained from exposing Peter Berlin's bare penis, which was copiously displayed in his photographs and --apart from his brain—was the actor-model-photographer's most prominent "source of inspiration" in his work, and the object of admiration, scorn or envy. On the other hand, not all interviews are interesting: while Robert W. Richards, Daniel Nicoletta and John F. Karr are controlled and intelligent, those by Wakefield Poole or John Waters are not. Otherwise, "That Man: Peter Berlin" is a fine work, a testament of one exhilarating time in the evolution of sexual mores and of one of its more prominent figures.

Anyone notice that the incorrect image is displayed in the product description to convey a subliminal hate message? I have found at least a dozen or more of these 'mistaken' images for product descriptions on Amazon. These usually are trying to convey a religious fundamentalist message--typically one of intolerance. This one for instance is homophobic as the image is actually of a movie called Malice and if you watch the trailer it portrays a young girl who is haunted by demons.

It was a visual feast. That is all. Glad the man lived to tell his story; so many do not.

Saturday, May 27, 20176:36:40 PMPETER BERLIN DOCUMENTARYBrilliant!One of the best documentaries I have ever seen. This is rare jewel of a documentary about a strong, complex, fascinating man who stays true to himself and lives his life to the fullest.He is to me an inspiration and a reminder of how much life there is out there to be lived. Peter seems to embody two things, the song from the 1975 movie, The Rocky Horror Picture Show: “Don’t Dream It Be It”.And a tag line from the 1958 movie, Auntie Mame: “Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death”. Peter seems to have had and still has a very good seat at the banquet.Dzięki, Peter. Thank you.And to the top negative reviewer, Luv, jealously is such an ugly colour, it normally doesn’t go with anything, but it goes perfectly with that snarky outfit you’re wearing.Oh, and old age isn’t so bad. It teaches one not to be a bloody twit.

Parfait merci

Peter Berlin is indeed iconic, and his narcissistic photography resonates amongst many. Unfortunately in my opinion, Peter Berlin is a past gay icon, better known to the gay community of the seventies and early eighties.One of the commentators in this documentary disagrees stating that today a porn star has a shelf life of 15 minutes (or 14 minutes, whatever the case) whereas Peter Berlin (who 'acted' in 3 films, two of which were his own) is timeless. I disagree, his films are unknown to a great many and fall within the classification of vintage. For this reason alone, not many people will have seen them, nor will they have access to them any time soon. His photography however, resurrects itself from time to time, and many of the images will be known to a contemporary audience. Of course the debate as to whether pornography is art, will continue for some time. I will not argue this line in my review, but to say that Peter Berlin was indeed different. His films were more an artistic expression, with long moments of dialogue (him sharing his thoughts) were far removed from the standard porn of the time.Peter Berlin the man is without doubt self-indulgent, narcissistic and indeed eccentric. He finds a great deal of life's necessities, such as work, retirement and other social norms, to be nothing more than boring. He currently survives on his fading notoriety, having lived much of his life off the charity of other artists who ironically believed in such work, retirement and other social norms, albeit second to their art. He pages through his albums much like you would find your grandparents doing in a moment of overwhelming memory, and paints a pitiful picture compared to his youth. Despite which he remains passionate and committed to his art.If Peter Berlin means anything to you, then this documentary may be worth watching. It is however, a sad reflection of the man, and seems to scrape the surface of his life, conviction and ideals. As such it fails to impress, leaving you somewhat disappointed. A great deal more research could have gone into this documentary, as well as expanding the interviews to include more contemporary commentators. Ironically if this documentary was trying to traverse the divide between the then and now, it failed dismally. Not one contemporary gay commentator is used, and no reference is made to how a modern gay community considers the 'legend' that was Peter Berlin.

Yes, Peter Berlin knew how to present himself and it is wonderful he did save himself on film, so we can enjoy watching him now decades later.On the other hand looking back makes one always somewhat sad, thinking 'those were the days,but they are gone, now'.Anyway this video presents very gently the Peter Berlin known years ago as presentedby himself and the current man who can look back with humor and self irony.if you prefer seeing him as he was, buy the videos he created and starred himself.

don't buy it